When a family member is stricken with cancer, it's natural to want to do something. That was certainly the case for Sally-Ann Roberts (left) and Dorothy Roberts McEwen (right) when their younger sister, Robin, co-anchor of ABC's Good Morning America, was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. They rushed from Louisiana and Mississippi to to be by Robin's side in New York, when she had a partial mastectomy, and again when her spirits dipped during chemo. They have since segued from supportive sisters of one woman with breast cancer to being part of a sisterhood of thousands who are helping scientists unlock clues to the disease, in hopes of preventing millions from developing breast cancer in the future. Sally-Ann and Dorothy are participants in the Sister Study, a 10-year survey sponsored by The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Since it's inception in 2004, the Sister Study has recruited 51,000 women from all 50 states and Puerto Rico, who represent different ethnic, educational, employment and socio-economic backgrounds. They study participants are bound together by a family tie-like Sally-Ann an Dorothy, each has had a sister with breast cancer.
"I learned about the Sister Study while interviewing another study spokesperson on the show," said Sally-Ann Roberts, who is co-anchor on New Orleans' CBS Eyewitness Morning News. While on the air she promised to join the study. "I immediately felt that this was an opportunity for me to help answer questions about why Robin may have gotten breast cancer while I had not."
The news segment encouraged women in New Orleans to join the study (local enrollment increased by 29 percent), and Sally-Ann's commitment motivated her younger sister Dorothy, who was initially reluctant to participate. "When I compared the amount of time it takes to participate in the Sister Study to the countless hours my sister Robin spent fighting breast cancer, I got past my hesitation and signed up," said Dorothy. "Sally-Ann and I are encouraging more women to participate, and make a difference in the fight against breast cancer."Study participants are asked to complete a yearly one-page update by mail, e-mail or phone. They are also asked to share more detailed information about changes in their health, jobs, and lifestyle every two or three years."Improvements in breast cancer survival depend on research participation so that we can learn why breast cancer begins and what controls cancer behavior," said Lisa Carey, M.D., medical director of the University of North Carolina Breast Center. "The Sister Study will need its participants to stay involved and to respond to inquiries about their health and experiences, especially if they are diagnosed with breast cancer."Because of their family history, the volunteers in the Sister Study are at increased risk for breast cancer, and about 900 participants have reported being diagnosed with the disease since the study began. In an effort to better understand early-onset breast cancer, the Sister Study has spawned an offshoot, the Two Sister Study. It will be made up of subjects whose sister was under the age of 50 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Their parents and the sibling diagnosed with early-onset breast cancer will also be invited to participate. Researchers hope to enroll 1,600 families in the Two Sister Study.
The Sister Study has already reported some preliminary findings about how factors such as weight and perceived stress may influence health, and investigators are beginning to use the biological samples participants contributed to learn how some genetic factors may affect breast cancer risk. The researchers point out key results on gene-environment interactions may be just a few years away. And, as Sally-Ann Roberts says, "Future generations will truly benefit from the collective efforts of sisters participating in this study." To learn more about the Sister Study and the Two Sister Study, visit http://www.sisterstudy.org.
CONTRIBUTE TO THIS STORY
